Prepare for Battle?!

Series: Say What?! The Hard Saying of Jesus

October 18, 2020

JRCC Online

 

Hard Sayings of Jesus

“Prepare for Battle”

 Text: Luke 22:36

 

In Luke 22:36, Jesus said to his disciples, “But now, take your money and a traveler’s bag. And if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one!

 

This one sentence, “And if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one!” is such a seemingly strange line tucked away in an otherwise incredibly significant chapter of Jesus’ life.

  • So many other significant events are happening in Luke 22, that this one line/directive to go buy a sword, could be pushed aside because it just seems odd, out of character or too challenging to figure out.
  • As a result, this line stands out as a rather troublesome text for scholars and readers trying to answer the question, “Say what … did Jesus really just say that?”
  • And once again, we are confronted with something Jesus says that seems to contradict his other primary teachings.

 

The setting for Luke 22 is an evening in the last week of Jesus’ earthly life.

  • Celebrating the Passover meal/Last supper with his disciples, Jesus models the humble posture of a servant and teaches his disciples about becoming servant leaders.
  • Then he tells them about his coming suffering on the cross…
  • And then he warns the disciples that one of them will betray him because it’s going to get difficult to follow him.
  • To which the brash disciple, Peter, says he would never betray Jesus.
  • Only to have Jesus correct him and point out that Peter will actually betray him, not once, but 3 times.

 

  • And then Jesus cautions the disciples about the hardship that is coming their way … things are about to change,

35 Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you out to preach the Good News and you did not have money, a traveler’s bag, or an extra pair of sandals, did you need anything?” “No,” they replied.

36 “But now,” he said, “take your money and a traveler’s bag. And if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one! 37 For the time has come for this prophecy about me to be fulfilled: ‘He was counted among the rebels.’ Yes, everything written about me by the prophets will come true.”

38 “Look, Lord,” they replied, “we have two swords among us.” “That’s enough,” he said.

 

What are we to make of this peculiar exchange?

  • Some take this text to argue for gun-rights, violent resistance or the legitimacy of lethal force in self-defence.
  • They interpret Jesus’ words as a call for his disciples to arm themselves and to be ready to use weapons against those who threaten to harm them.
  • Most scholars, on the other hand, reject that interpretation; cautioning it as being extremely difficult to reconcile with Jesus’ consistent teaching on non-retaliation, loving enemies, willing self-sacrifice, servant-leadership as just displayed a few verses earlier.

 

In order to know what Jesus is saying, let’s start by discussing what Jesus is not saying … and to do so, we are going to take into consideration the larger context of that evening.

  • Having just finished the Passover meal/communion together, we read in Luke 22,

31 “Simon, Simon (Peter), Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. 32 But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”

33 Peter said, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.”

34 But Jesus said, “Peter, let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.”

35 Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you out to preach the Good News and you did not have money, a traveler’s bag, or an extra pair of sandals, did you need anything?”

“No,” they replied.

36 “But now,” he said, “take your money and a traveler’s bag. And if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one! 37 For the time has come for this prophecy about me to be fulfilled: ‘He was counted among the rebels.’ Yes, everything written about me by the prophets will come true.”

38 “Look, Lord,” they replied, “we have two swords among us.”

“That’s enough,” he said.

39 Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. 40 There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.”

41 He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” 43 Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. 44 He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.

45 At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief. 46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.”

  • Could this be signaling an event that is about to happen in which one of the disciples does give in to temptation?

47 But even as Jesus said this, a crowd approached, led by Judas, one of the twelve disciples. Judas walked over to Jesus to greet him with a kiss. 48 But Jesus said, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”

49 When the other disciples saw what was about to happen, they exclaimed, “Lord, should we fight? We brought the swords!” 50 And one of them struck at the high priest’s slave, slashing off his right ear.

51 But Jesus said, “No more of this.” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.

52 Then Jesus spoke to the leading priests, the captains of the Temple guard, and the elders who had come for him. “Am I some dangerous revolutionary,” he asked, “that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? 53 Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there every day. But this is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns.”

Luke is the only Gospel writer to include the sentence about buying a sword.

  • But the other Gospel writers do include this evening in the life of Jesus and his disciples.
  • In their accounts of what takes place that evening, all four gospel writers record that one of Jesus’ followers draws a sword and yields to the temptation to meet violence with violence.
  • We learn in John 19:10 that the culprit is Peter, who slices off the ear of the High Priest’s slave Malchus.
  • Apparently, Peter interpreted Jesus’ enigmatic statement on acquiring a sword as an endorsement of violent resistance.
  • But Jesus quickly and sternly rebukes this as contrary to how he wants his followers to act,

“No more of this!” (Luke 22:51)

“Put away your sword.” (Mt 26:52; Jn 18:11)

“Those who use the sword will die by the sword.” (Mt 26:52)

 

This scene is key to understanding what Jesus was not saying when he told his disciples to buy a sword.

  • In the Garden scene, for anyone who thinks Jesus was suggesting that violent resistance is appropriate; here he is correcting that misunderstanding of his statement.
  • Jesus did not intend his instruction in Luke 22:36 to be taken literally; he was not encouraging violence.
  • Nor is it legitimate to surmise that by rebuking Peter, Jesus was saying something tactical, such as, “Peter, we are outnumbered at the moment; now is not the right time.”
  • No, Jesus is clear.
  • The act of violence is not right, nor is the time for violence ever right.

 

So if Jesus was not advocating violent resistance/the use of a sword, what exactly was he saying when he told the disciples to buy a sword?

  • Again, we see Jesus using dialog as a tool to get across a greater meaning.
  • As we see repeatedly in this teaching series, Jesus articulates hard/important principles and truths by means of provocative speech … he wants to grab our attention and focus us on the radical call to follow him.
  • We’ve seen this in other places:
    • “If you want to follow me, hate your father, mother…” (Luke 14:26) Really, he wants us to hate people, or is that a statement of what our love for others should look like in comparison to our love for Jesus.
    • “If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out…” (Mt 5:29) Really, he wants us to literally do that? Or is he asking us to take extreme measures in the eyes of the world to avoid sin.
    • Luke 18, Jesus tells a wealthy ruler to “sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor to gain treasure in heaven”

Is that an indicator of a back-door way into heaven? Or is Jesus exposing an issue of the heart that keeps us from following him as Lord in every area of life.

  • All of these are examples of where we do not take Jesus’ words literally, but rather need to rightly interpret what God has recorded for us in the Bible.

 

So how do we understand Jesus’ instruction to take our money, acquire a suitcase, and buy a sword.

  • Let’s start with the items themselves: all three of these items signal a movement into the unknown.
    • By following me, Jesus says, you don’t always know where you’ll end up and how much money you will need, so take all of it.
    • When you follow Jesus, you don’t always know where you are going, or for how long, or where you will be able to stay, so pack a suitcase.
    • When you follow Jesus, you can’t predict what you are going to face, but it’s not all good, so take a sword.
  • Jesus’ call to acquire these items in Luke 22:36 is a call to readiness, resourcefulness and vigilance/caution.
  • Jesus is warning his disciples, in his riveting way, that things are about to change for anyone who follows him.
  • Before that night, Jesus and his disciples were generally welcomed, so they didn’t need to “pack”, or at the very least, they could travel lightly.
  • As they did miracles in Jesus’ name, people welcomed them into their homes and took care of them.
  • But now, something is about to happen that will drastically change the landscape of their lives and they will need to be ready to persevere like they have never had to before.

 

What’s going to happen?

  • Luke 22:37 reveals our clue as to why the disciples need to think/prepare like they should buy a sword,

37 For the time has come for this prophecy about me to be fulfilled: ‘He was counted among the rebels.’ Yes, everything written about me by the prophets will come true.”

  • The prophecy Jesus is referring to is in Isaiah 53:12.
  • Let’s take a closer look at that verse and passage:

12 I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

  • But let’s read the larger context … and as we do, I want you to have the crucifixion of Jesus in your mind.

7He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave.

 

10 But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. 11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. 12 I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

 

The event that this prophecy is referring to is the crucifixion and death of Jesus.

  • On the cross, Jesus was counted as a criminal/rebel with other criminals… in fact, he interceded for 2 rebels as he hung on the cross.
  • The death and resurrection of Jesus marks the most significant shift or pivot in the history of humanity.
  • Isaiah is signalling that life for all humanity would be radically changed with the fulfillment of this prophecy.

 

So when we fast forward to that night in Luke 22 as Jesus calls his disciples to take their money, pack a suitcase, and buy a sword … it was because, as vs. 37 says, it was time for Isaiah’s prophecy to be fulfilled.

  • Jesus was signalling that his cruel death on the cross, a criminal’s death, was about to happen.
  • And after that event took place, life for the disciples would radically change.

 

Now the disciples, don’t understand this in Luke 22 … we have the benefit of knowing the full story, but for them, they were living in the moment.

  • Verse 38, “Look, Lord,” they replied, “We have two swords among us.” “That’s enough,”Jesus said.
  • The disciples are caught in the literal.
  • And Jesus responds with a seemingly literal and “wrong” answer.
  • How could two swords be enough to defend themselves against any group of enemies, let alone Roman or Jewish authorities?
  • And later in vs. 52, Jesus says he’s not leading some rebellion, so why would he need swords.
  • If he was, surely he would have had the disciples leave the upper room, get enough swords for all of them and maybe find a few more rebels for hire to join them.

 

Quite frankly friends, I believe this is one of those beautiful instances where we are caught off guard by Jesus’ humanity.

  • After every thing he’s taught them, the disciples still don’t fully understand him or his teachings.
  • And I think this is Jesus putting an end to the scene with an eye roll, a shake of his head in disbelief, and even a satirical tone, as he says, “Yeah, great guys, that should be all we need! Two daggers will change the world.”
  • Friends the disciples don’t get it and Jesus knows it.
  • He also knows that they will look back on this night and things will fall into place for them in terms of how their theology will inform their practice as Jesus-followers.

 

In other words, discipleship is an ongoing, life long process.

  • The disciples that night in the upper room and in the Garden of Gethsemane were still very much in process.
  • In fact, they were at the very beginning of their journey toward Christ-likeness.
  • Post crucifixion and resurrection, post Great Commission and filling of the Holy Spirit, we see radically changed disciples operating in a radically different landscape.
  • In the book of Acts, the mantle of leadership for the Gospel falls to them, and the Gospel message begins to advance beyond Judea to the farthest parts of the earth.
  • As the Gospel advances, the disciples gain a fuller grasp of who Jesus is and his intent for all humanity … Jew and Gentile alike.
  • The disciples understand their own calling, which from the beginning was to follow Jesus, give up their lives, love him pre-eminently and take up their crosses.

 

As the disciples do this, what do we read in their writings?

  • In the book of Acts alone, chapters 4, 5, 8, 9, 12 we read that they were faced with nothing but physical resistance, violence and swords wielded against them.
  • We read of one of the greatest persecutors and murderers, Saul, being transformed into a Jesus-follower and laying down his cruel methods of “persuasion,” for the Jesus’ method of unconditional love and self-sacrifice.
  • If anyone could have advanced the Gospel via coercion and violence, Saul/Paul might have been equipped to do so… but even he was radically changed.

 

Friends, after Jesus was counted among the rebels on the cross, discipleship took on a very new meaning.

  • Following Jesus meant that you too were a rebel who was going to be reduced within the Roman Empire to incredible distress, persecution and even death on a cross.
  • Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 4:11,

        11 Even now we go hungry and thirsty (hear Jesus’ words: bring your money), and we don’t have enough clothes to keep warm (pack a suitcase). We are often beaten and have no home (safety, buy a sword). 12 We work wearily with our own hands to earn our living. We bless those who curse us (oh, Jesus taught us to use a different sword). We are patient with those who abuse us. 13 We appeal gently when evil things are said about us. Yet we are treated like the world’s garbage, like everybody’s trash—right up to the present moment.

 

  • Unlike their early days with Jesus, people are no longer welcoming them, to say the least.
  • In fact, because of Jesus, the people are rejecting them.
  • Jesus stood in opposition to the powers and principalities of the world and that is exactly where his followers found themselves in the 1st century … and where followers throughout the centuries, including today, find ourselves.

 

By believing and following a crucified and risen Saviour, all Jesus’ disciples stand in opposition to anything that opposes his reign.

  • So yes, we will, we should find ourselves in opposition with our culture on many issues.
  • And we will find ourselves persecuted as others find us seemingly intolerant, shun us or mock us, casting us aside as radicals/rebels/relevant-no-longer.
  • Biblical truth will always fly in the face of human constructs, power and control.
  • And the temptation is take up a “sword” of some sort and fight fire with fire … to use human power.
  • But Jesus calls us to prepare ourselves so that we can follow his lead of truth with unconditional love… even to the point of loving our enemies, even to the point of being willing to suffer and die for that calling if need be.

 

In John’s parallel account of that evening in the life of the disciples, we read these words:

John 15, Jesus says,

     18 “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. 19 The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. 

 

Later in John 16,

        31 Jesus asked, “Do you finally believe? 32 But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. 33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

 

Friends, take heart in Jesus, not in a sword!

  • Yes, you will face many trials and sorrows in this world.
  • But we follow and put our confidence in Him who has overcome the world through unconditional love.
Following Jesus requires readiness, resourcefulness, and vigilance.

Speaker: Wally Nickel

October 18, 2020
Luke 22:36-

Wally Nickel

Transitional Pastor

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